Lilian Bond

Lilian Bond (January 18, 1908 – January 25, 1991) was an English-American actress based in the United States.
Life and career
Bond was born in London and made her first professional stage appearance at the age of 14 in the pantomime Dick Whittington and His Cat. Later she joined the chorus of Piccadilly Revels and continued on the stage when she relocated to the United States, where her performances included roles in The Earl Carroll Vanities and in various productions of the Ziegfeld Follies.
Bond began working in films in 1929, initially in the drama No More Children for Cliff Broughton Productions. Between 1929 and 1931, she co-starred in eight additional films, most notably with Tom Tyler in the 1931 Western Rider of the Plains. In 1932, she was named a WAMPAS Baby Star, along with Gloria Stuart, Ginger Rogers, and other young actresses rising in popularity with theater audiences.
From 1932 to 1953, she had roles in 39 more films, ranging from lead characters to uncredited performances. In James Whale's comedic thriller starring Boris Karloff titled The Old Dark House (1932), Bond plays Gladys DuCane, a chorus girl who falls in love with Roger Penderel (played by Melvyn Douglas). Perhaps her best-known film role is in the 1940 Western The Westerner starring Gary Cooper and Walter Brennan. In that production she portrays the British-American actress and socialite Lillie Langtry. By the 1950s, her career had declined, with her having mostly TV appearances. She retired from acting at the age of 50 in 1958.
Personal life and death
Bond technically married four times, including marrying the same man twice. At the height of her career, on June 28, 1935, she wed Sidney Smith, a highly successful New York broker and celebrated big-game hunter; however, "a technical legal question" required the couple to remarry on September 3, 1936. In 1943 they separated, with each accusing the other of cruelty. Their divorce was finalized the next year.
In 1950, Bond married Morton Lowry; the union lasted six years. Finally, in 1961, she wed Michael Fessier, who was a screenwriter, film producer, and novelist. The two remained together until his death in 1988. Three years later, at age 83, Bond suffered a heart attack and died at a convalescent hospital in Reseda, California.
Selected filmography
Sagebrush Politics (1930) as Cleo
Stepping Out (1931)
Manhattan Parade (1931) as Sewing girl
The Squaw Man (1931) as Babs
Rider of the Plains (1931) as Betty
Hot Saturday (1932) as Eva Randolph
Beauty and the Boss (1932) as Girl at the bar
Man About Town (1932) as Carlotta Cortez
The Old Dark House (1932) as Gladys
Fireman, Save My Child (1932) as June Farnum
High Pressure (1932)
It's Tough to Be Famous (1932) as Edna Jackson
Union Depot (1932) as Actress on train (uncredited)
Air Mail (1932) as Irene Walkins
The Trial of Vivienne Ware (1932) as Dolores Divine
When Strangers Marry (1933) as Marion Drake
Double Harness (1933) as Monica Page
Take a Chance (1933) as Thelma Green
Hot Pepper (1933) as Hortense
Her Splendid Folly (1933) as Jill McAllister
Pick-Up (1933) as Muriel Stevens
The Big Brain (1933) as Dorothy Norton
Hell Bent for Love (1934) as Millie Garland
Dirty Work (1934)
Affairs of a Gentleman (1934) as Carlotta Barbe
The Bishop Misbehaves (1935) as Mrs. Millie Walker
China Seas (1935) - Mrs. Timmons
Blond Cheat (1938) as Roberta Trent
Sued for Libel (1939) as Muriel Webster
The Women (1939) as Mrs. Erskine
The Housekeeper's Daughter (1939) as Gladys Fontaine
The Westerner (1940) as Lillie Langtry
Scotland Yard (1941) as Lady Constance
A Desperate Chance for Ellory Queen (1942) as Adele Beldon
A Tragedy at Midnight (1942) as Lola
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) as Kate
Nocturne (1946) as Mrs. Billings
The Jolson Story (1947)
Fighter Squadron (1948) as English lady
That Forsythe Woman (1949) as Maid
Shadow on the Wall (1950) as Attendant
The Sniper (1952) as Mrs. Fitzpatrick
The Big Trees (1952) as Daisy's girl
Man in the Attic (1953) as Annie Rowley
The Maze (1953) as Margaret Dilling
Pirates of Tripoli (1955) as Sono
References
External links
Lilian Bond at Virtual History Film
1908 births
1991 deaths
Actresses from London
British film actresses
British expatriate actresses in the United States
Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
20th-century English actresses
WAMPAS Baby Stars